According to the European Union’s Copernicus climate service, the world’s oceans reached their highest recorded temperatures for July 2026. This development is partially attributed to intensifying El Niño conditions in the Pacific.
The average sea surface temperature outside the polar regions measured 20.96 degrees Celsius, surpassing the previous high of 20.89 degrees Celsius recorded in 2023.
El Niño, a natural Pacific weather phenomenon, is noted by experts as a factor that, when combined with human-caused global warming, can lead to sudden temperature spikes and more extreme weather. Globally, the past month was the second warmest July ever on record, with temperatures approximately 1.47 degrees Celsius above the estimated pre-industrial average.
Exceptionally high sea temperatures were recorded throughout the tropical Pacific, where the El Niño conditions are developing and are expected to strengthen in the coming months. Meanwhile, the Atlantic coasts of Europe and the Western Mediterranean also registered record sea surface temperatures in July, contributing to widespread, severe marine heatwaves across the region.
